Museo di Palazzo Pretorio

About the museum

The museum originates in 1788, when Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo proposed gathering in the Palazzo Comunale the paintings of the suppressed monasteries and oratories. In 1858–1859, on the initiative of Cesare Guasti and his brother Gaetano, the civic picture gallery was officially established with 35 works. After years of acquisitions and donations, the Galleria Comunale was inaugurated in the Palazzo Pretorio on 27 April 1912, with the first display arranged by Roberto Papini.

The Palazzo Pretorio, formerly the seat of the magistrates’ court, the prison and the pawnshop (monte dei pegni), was renovated to house the collection. In 1926 a first group of plaster casts by the Prato sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini was entrusted to the museum. In 1940 the museum was closed because of the war and the works were saved, in part at the Medici villa of Poggio a Caiano.

Today the collections range from archaeological finds to masterpieces by Bernardo Daddi, Giovanni da Milano, Donatello, Filippo and Filippino Lippi, and on to 20th-century artists such as Lipchitz, Klein and Pistoletto. The museum focuses on a slow way of visiting and on accessible routes, with tactile reproductions, an interactive tactile model, and augmentative communication tools and Italian Sign Language (LIS).

Highlights

• Predella by Bernardo Daddi with the Storie della sacra cintola (Stories of the Holy Girdle)
• Polyptych by Giovanni da Milano
• Works by Filippo and Filippino Lippi and by Donatello
• Plaster casts by the sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini
• Tactile model and tactile reproductions for visitors with visual impairments

Permanent exhibition

• La collezione permanente – Works from the 14th to the 20th century, from Bernardo Daddi and Giovanni da Milano to Filippo and Filippino Lippi and contemporary artists.

Founded

1858

Operated by

Comune di Prato

Admission & discounts

Online purchase with an advance sales fee of €2. Free admission also for teachers on duty, police and law-enforcement officers, accredited journalists, members of ICOM and ICCROM, holders of the Edumuseicard and licensed tourist guides of Tuscany. Guided visits, charged in addition to the ticket: groups of 12 to 25 people €100; 2 to 11 people €55 to €90 (1 hour).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The main entrance is accessible; a wheelchair can be borrowed free of charge at the ticket office. The entrance doors are glass with manual opening. The lift has Braille buttons. The museum offers augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools and LIS for some works, an interactive tactile model and tactile reproductions; an expansion with materials for people with visual impairments is under way.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Educational activities for families and summer camps; birthday parties at the museum for children aged 5 to 11. Inside the teaching room there is a “Baby Pit Stop” with a baby-changing table and armchair.

Getting there & parking

By car from the A11 Florence–Pisa motorway, Prato Est exit, then follow the signs for the centre.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi with registration (information at the ticket office). Bookshop in the entrance hall; free cloakroom with lockers on the ground floor.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties

The museum hosts cultural initiatives of public interest and private events.

Plan your visit